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Goals are for losers?

You can be more effective! You can be happier! With these 7 habits you can be successful!

These are all slogans books have that claim to help you be better, more efficient and happier. And the truth is, most of these books have very valid points, if you can incorporate the tips into your life and workflow. But in the end, they all talk about success.

Scott Adams (the Dilbert guy) wrote his own “book of tips” with a bit of a twist. Though he is known for his humour in the Dilbert comics and his books, his latest book (How to fail at Almost Anything and Still Win Big) is more of a life story, full of anecdotes and simple tips, all leading to his own theory: “Goals are for losers, systems lead to success!”

Though it might sound like it, I am not specifically trying to promote this book, nor do I have any financial interests in it. I'm just a fan of Scott Adams and his work, and thought I'd share my thoughts!

I’m not sure which category this book falls under; autobiography, self-help, philosophy, health… but I found it an entertaining and enlightening read. The reason is simple…

The book was simple to read. It is full of short stories of Scott’s own experiences, and how he dealt with them. Every now and then he gives some reference to back his ideas, but in general the book is just full of common sense (some say the least common of the senses…). So if it’s full of common sense, why read, or even buy it?

Because you don’t realise these things until you read them in a book. It awakens things in your mind that you don’t really realise are there. And then it makes you think, and it makes you recognise situations in your own life where his tips might apply.

And that’s basically it. There’s no grand story here, and life-changing tips or Nobel Prize winning ideas (though he’d love to win that one day). Just common sense that’s very worth reading.

Scott goes into various different aspects of his life, with a big focus on eating and living healthy, and how that can lead to a better life in general. There are a few chapters on weight loss and the systems (rather than goals) that can help. Scott did a good job on relating healthy eating to other aspects of your life which I found very interesting.

So whether you’re just curious, whether you’re looking for any tips to be more effective, or whether you want to lose weight, I suggest you pick up a copy of this book, and enjoy it!